Skip to main content
Journal of Animal Science logoLink to Journal of Animal Science
. 2021 Mar 2;99(3):skab007. doi: 10.1093/jas/skab007

ImmuneDEX – A strategy for the genetic improvement of immune competence

PMCID: PMC7936913  PMID: 33677581

Graphical Abstract

graphic file with name skab007_iffig1.jpg


Transportation, diet, caloric intake and environmental temperature are a handful of stressors that can impact the cell-mediated immune response (Bagath et al., 2019; Brandão et al., 2019; Buhler et al., 2019; Herd et al., 2019). Because breed can also influence an animal’s response to infection, genetics represents an important component to combating disease. ImmuneDEX describes a new method of defining immune competence that can be incorporated into beef cattle breeding strategies (Reverter et al., 2021). The long term outcome of the selection method may include improved disease resistance in beef cattle.

References

  1. Bagath, M., G.  Krishnan, C.  Devaraj, V. P.  Rashamol, P.  Pragna, A. M.  Lees, and V.  Sejian. . 2019. The impact of heat stress on the immune system in dairy cattle: A review. Res. Vet. Sci. 126:94–102. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2019.08.011 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brandão, A. P., R. F.  Cooke, K. M.  Schubach, and R. S.  Marques. . 2019. Physiologic and innate immunity responses to bacterial lipopolysaccharide administration in beef heifers supplemented with OmniGen-AF. Animal  13:153–160. doi: 10.1017/S1751731118001441 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buhler, V. M., K. R.  Cash, D. J.  Hurley, and B. C.  Credille. . 2019. Characterization and comparison of cell-mediated immune responses following ex vivo stimulation with viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens in stressed and unstressed beef calves1. J. Anim. Sci. 97:2739–2749. doi: 10.1093/jas/skz155 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Herd, R. M., J. I.  Velazco, H.  Smith, P. F.  Arthur, B.  Hine, H.  Oddy, R. C.  Dobos, and R. S.  Hegarty. . 2019. Genetic variation in residual feed intake is associated with body composition, behavior, rumen, heat production, hematology, and immune competence traits in Angus cattle1. J. Anim. Sci. 97:2202–2219. doi: 10.1093/jas/skz077 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Reverter, A., B. C.  Hine, L.  Porto-Neto, Y.  Li, C. J.  Duff, S.  Dominik and A. B.  Ingham. . 2021. ImmuneDEX – A strategy for the genetic improvement of immune competence in 4 Australian Angus cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 99:skaa384. 10.1093/jas/skaa384 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Animal Science are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES